Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I’ve put over 16,000km on the bike. Minimal servicing requirements. Been through some tyres and brake pads. Replaced the chain and cassette. The only real maintenance at the LBS has been a bottom bracket service, to get rid of creaking/clicking after 10,000km.

Had a few crashes on it too. Fortunately only minor cosmetic damage and the bike is fine. The Di2 is as good as new. The frame has less flex and gives a harsher ride than my other bikes. But I don’t mind this at all. It’s certainly not a wet noodle. Still very happy after almost 2 years .

rebilda wrote:This is the point - the bikes are NOT crap, but there are (or were) plenty of "Experts" out there explaining why I should have bought something else, from someone else. I guess there was a bit of "sour grapes" from people who had only months earlier paid double the price for a bike of similar or lesser quality.

i did a lot of research before buying my Azzurri. everything in the same price range had 105 running gear and/or 1900gm training wheels. i use my bike for racing and the 8.0kg weight and mid-weight wheels are good for the price, as is the stiff frame. i just couldn't justify paying more for less.

the only thing i've changed, other than tyres, is the handlebars - which were too compact for my liking.

Have they been discontinued?

I cannot see them here:

https://www.cyclingexpress.com/?lang=en ... kes-Carbon" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I bought mine about a month ago. Overall I am fairly impressed, except for:

1. The setup was pretty poor, the claim is that it is assembled, ride tested, and then taken apart and boxed. I cannot see this being true as gears were one out on the indexing, and brakes were rubbing.

2. The rear wheel required truing after 500km

I trust CE ability to build a bike about as much as their ability to run a successful online business past the end of the year!

JarrahJack wrote:2. The rear wheel required truing after 500km

the drive-side spokes keep coming loose on my bike. i bought some linseed oil but haven't got around to dipping all the spokes in it yet. this is Reynold's fault though.

Have had mine since end of October 2011 (first shipment).
It has done just over 10k kilometres now.
I have been pretty happy over-all , it's certainly been great value for money.

Problems- Same deal as others on the setup of rear derailleur needed to play with the stops and tune to get it working properly.
Rear wheel kept going out of true(as noted by others) , gave up on it in the end and bought 6700 Ultegra wheels.

Thats it really , other than a small off which bent the derailleur hanger (was still able to ride it home).

Ride is stiff and a bit harsh , but have done many rides over 100 k with no probs.
Also find it a bit twitchy at speeds above 60 kph.

Owned a Specialized Roubaix for a while , bought after the Azzurri.
Built up with 105 and the Reynolds wheels of the Azzurri.
Rode much nicer than the Azzurri in most conditions , other than out of the seat sprinting , you could feel some flex in the Roubaix compared to the Azzurri (brake rub at rear).
Sold the Specialized to build another bike with Di2.

That build got a bit out of control

Have ended up with a Scott Foil with the new Dura Ace 9070 Di2.
Now the Scott is a way better frame than the Azzurri , but it did cost a "BIT" more.

The Scott climbs way better , descends on rails at any speed , and is stiff but a more comfortable ride.
Some of thats down to the weight difference I'm sure.
Scott with pedals and bottle cages 6.8 kg.
Azzurri with pedals and cages 8.8 kg.

Have no intention af selling the Azzurri anytime soon , still think it was/is great value for money , and still ride it at least once a week.

Hope that helps as a bit of a comparo of Azzurri v others.

interesting

santacruzscott wrote: Rode much nicer than the Azzurri in most conditions , other than out of the seat sprinting , you could feel some flex in the Roubaix compared to the Azzurri (brake rub at rear)

that's probably due more to flex in the wheel than the frame.

jules21 wrote:interesting

santacruzscott wrote: Rode much nicer than the Azzurri in most conditions , other than out of the seat sprinting , you could feel some flex in the Roubaix compared to the Azzurri (brake rub at rear)

that's probably due more to flex in the wheel than the frame.

The same wheels when on the Azzurri didn't brake rub tho.

Interesting. I wish I had the opportunity to ride a top end bike, something like a S-Works McLaren Venge, Bianchi Oltre or Cannondale EVO Super Six etc, just so that I could make a comparison with the Azzurri. I have no complaints with the Azzurri frame at all, but then I have never ridden any other bike, let alone a really expensive one, to compare it to. Maybe I would realise the Azzurri is actually crap, or maybe I wouldn't notice a difference, or not a difference worth 10 grand anyway.

A few have commented on how harsh the ride is, again I don't know if it's harsh or not because I have never ridden any other bike. But could it be harsh because the frame is really super stiff? That would be a good thing wouldnt it?

Frame can flex up and down, but stay tight side to side. So no guarantee that a harsh ride will be stiff and quick.

Any women ride this bike or the Forza Elite currently available from CE? I'm looking at picking up a frame for the missus, but interested to hear female opinions on the ride?

Hey everyone - old and long thread this one, but thought I'd put my recent experience up.

I bought my Azzurri Forza Di2 about 2 years ago and immediately stripped the Di2 from it and placed it on my S-Works Roubaix frameset. Since then the Forza has been a single speed for a while but mainly sat in the shed. After a bit of thinking, I decided to convert it to mechanical shifting and today I finished the build. I took an old Dura Ace 7900 groupset and with minimal changes to the frame, got it all working. Only needed one clamp-on cable stop and ran full length cable housing.

If anyone is interested in how to do it because you have a spare Di2 specific frame laying around - let me know! Happy to help out.

I would be interested to hear how the Azzurri Forza frame compares with your S-Works in terms of general ride, stiffness, power transfer, flex, bump absorption etc?

rebem wrote:Hey everyone - old and long thread this one, but thought I'd put my recent experience up.

I bought my Azzurri Forza Di2 about 2 years ago and immediately stripped the Di2 from it and placed it on my S-Works Roubaix frameset. Since then the Forza has been a single speed for a while but mainly sat in the shed. After a bit of thinking, I decided to convert it to mechanical shifting and today I finished the build. I took an old Dura Ace 7900 groupset and with minimal changes to the frame, got it all working. Only needed one clamp-on cable stop and ran full length cable housing.

If anyone is interested in how to do it because you have a spare Di2 specific frame laying around - let me know! Happy to help out.

Can you shoot through some details on your conversion to me via PM please?

About to do something similar.

Cheers
Paul

Arlberg wrote:I would be interested to hear how the Azzurri Forza frame compares with your S-Works in terms of general ride, stiffness, power transfer, flex, bump absorption etc?

Hey Arlberg - sorry, didn't see your post. They are totally different actually, but I guess you'd expect a bit of that. I have them set up almost identically and have to say that I wouldn't consider riding the Forza over say 70-80km because of the harsher ride. The Roubaix just soaks up the bumps - probably because of the 27.2 seatpost and slightly longer wheelbase. Power transfer - hard to tell and I'd say pretty similar but the Roubaix is smoother. I have a back injury which plays up with the Forza but not so much with the Roubaix.

One HUGE difference guys - changing gears with Di2 versus mechanical! Didn't realise how good we had it until I went back to mechanical, and I'm even using a Dura Ace 7900 groupset. Di2 is just quicker and more precise. I don't have to think about it.

For most of my viewers I DO recommend alloy. Its WAY stronger in the common noob crashes EVERYONE has. If you decently scratch a carbon frame it should be not riden or fixed by a skilled carbon engineer. Carbon doesnt dent, it CRACKS so if you drop your new carbon bike against the door handle, chances are its going to break.

taylorsmith wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 19, 2022 10:51 pm

For most of my viewers I DO recommend alloy. Its WAY stronger in the common noob crashes EVERYONE has. If you decently scratch a carbon frame it should be not riden or fixed by a skilled carbon engineer. Carbon doesnt dent, it CRACKS so if you drop your new carbon bike against the door handle, chances are its going to break.

Bulldust.

taylorsmith wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 19, 2022 10:51 pm

For most of my viewers I DO recommend alloy. Its WAY stronger in the common noob crashes EVERYONE has. If you decently scratch a carbon frame it should be not riden or fixed by a skilled carbon engineer. Carbon doesnt dent, it CRACKS so if you drop your new carbon bike against the door handle, chances are its going to break.

Rubbish.

For your viewers… Uh, who exactly are you and what are your credentials? Duck is a mechanic and I’ve ridden a lot on carbon bikes.

This was a very old topic anyway.

It's totally true, my brother's ex-girlfriend's best mate's uncle sneezed in the garage next to his carbon frame and it blew up and levelled a whole block.

g-boaf wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 21, 2022 1:36 am

taylorsmith wrote: ↑

Mon Dec 19, 2022 10:51 pm

For most of my viewers I DO recommend alloy. Its WAY stronger in the common noob crashes EVERYONE has. If you decently scratch a carbon frame it should be not riden or fixed by a skilled carbon engineer. Carbon doesnt dent, it CRACKS so if you drop your new carbon bike against the door handle, chances are its going to break.

Rubbish.

For your viewers… Uh, who exactly are you and what are your credentials? Duck is a mechanic and I’ve ridden a lot on carbon bikes.

This was a very old topic anyway.

I'm also a composites tech.

You guys realise you’re talking to a chat bot right?